The experience of key technical personnel who will be responsible for the day-to-day operation: Meharry Principal Investigator: Billy R. Ballard, DDS, MD, is board-certified pathologist. Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology at Meharry Medical College. Dr. Ballard has more than 40 years experience as a general surgical and cytopathologist with special interest and experts in head and neck, genitourinary, breast, gynecologic, and soft tissue pathology. Dr. Ballard will be responsible for refining the laboratory procedures, hiring personnel, managing the budget, evaluafing and selecting equipment for the laboratory. In addition. Dr. Ballard will be responsible for ensuring the laboratory meets the needs of Partnership investigators. This will be accomplished by interacting closely with the Histopathology Core Internal and External Advisory Committees, which has the responsibility for oversight ofthe core and with the Human Tissue Acquisition and Pathology Core at VICC. The oversight committees will assist with the development and implementation of operational policies and procedures for the core including the development of fee schedules, development and implementation of new procedures or tests, the prioritization and allocation of banked samples, and the selection of pilot studies that to receive fee weavers or a reducfion, and others as the need arises. A close working relationship will be established and maintained to assure that we address the needs of the investigators ufilizing services of the core. An addifional responsibility shall include interacting with principle investigators in developing specific tissue collection protocols available for any technical or scienfific questions concerning tissue procurement. He is responsible for Increasing awareness and availability of this Core the Partnership research community by giving a series of seminars to various groups concerning operafion and services.